Many people have expressed feeling “crazy” or “stupid” or “from Mars”
when they reflect on not being able to do things that seem so easy for everyone
around them. That feeling of “not being present the day the rules of life were
handed out” can take a toll on a person’s self image whether they are 3 years
old or 30, or 70. It can feel like they are missing pieces of a puzzle,
condemning them to always fail.

These are the kinds of feelings
and thoughts that have haunted many of the people who have come through the
doors of TRI's Education Evaluation Center over the past 52 years, and are in
direct contrast to the ah-ha moments that follow the discovery of a learning
disability or other diagnosis that explains everything. Not “stupid” or “Martian,”
just dyslexic or having ADD – conditions that, with proper accommodations in
place, will no longer hold them back.

One past
client writes, “Thank you! It was refreshing to finally have a reason versus
just a problem in my head that no one believed. I get to graduate now!!!

Through a lens of decades of experience, and access to
the most current and effective assessment tools, the team at the Education
Evaluation Center (EEC) constructs a comprehensive, individualized,
family-centered assessment for children and adults with cognitive and learning
disabilities.

“We’ve served a wide variety of families - of judges, legislators,
teachers, sales people, and timber families – from all corners of the state,” says Ken Kosko, who
has been with EEC since 1974. “And now we’re on a second generation of some of
these families, as the children we served are now bringing their children to
see us.”

“In the beginning
years the focus was pretty much only on learning disabilities with limited
testing,” continues Ken Kosko. The Center now has a staff with expertise not
only in learning disabilities, but also ADHD, and autism, and have expanded
into the areas of multiculturalism, speech/language, and mental health issues “that
allows for more extensive evaluations,” adds Kosko.

In the1970s, the EEC
began to expand into the adult population. “It was evident that the children diagnosed with a learning
disability while in school were now becoming adults and there was little
understanding or support from adult services,” says Kosko.

The Education Evaluation Center was at the forefront of that research and
stands now as the "Cadillac model" for providing these services to people of all ages. The Center currently provides
vocational/career evaluations for adolescents and adults who want to transition
into post-secondary education or work and may not understand how their learning
disability impacts the choices they are going to make. The Center has assisted
thousands of adolescents and adults with successful career choices by
diagnosing their strengths, weaknesses, and interests.

With the growing numbers of adults returning to college to explore second
or third careers, especially veterans returning from war with PTSD or brain
injury, the work of the EEC is more important now than ever. With the focus on all children
in Oregon going beyond high school into college or careers, the services
provided by EEC are essential to the success of our collective futures.

With early assessments
and the subsequent early interventions that can be put in place, many of today’s
youngest children will reach their dreams, and the students currently in the
pipeline from Primary to Secondary to Post-Secondary, will have the supports
they need to succeed.

“Once students accept
they have a disability and begin advocating for themselves it is amazing how
their lives change,” says Kosko. “It takes a lot to ask for help on the job or
in school but once they self-disclose, doors open.”

It is the evaluation
that initially gets them to that point.
As one parent expressed, “Your evaluation encouraged my son to accept
the services of a note taker in some classes and have additional time allotted
for certain exams. The testing helped my son understand why he spent more time
studying than some fellow students. He completed his B.S. from OSU."

The EEC staff is composed
of Oregon licensed and nationally certified clinical and school psychologists,
learning disability specialists, speech/language pathologist, a
multicultural/cross cultural specialist, and vocational specialist. The team has
the capacity of providing direct evaluation services and technical assistance
to any student and parent in Oregon and any professional educator in any local education agency in the state. The EEC has a dedicated staff who are expert in the jobs
they perform. You just have to ask anyone who one has been through the Center,
as reported by this mother, “The assessment helped my child and his teachers
understand his disability and how to work with him.” Or another parent, “From
my first conversation to the final report, staff were helpful, responsive,
thoughtful and professional”. And another, “I am recommending parents and IEP
teams request evaluations at the EEC sooner."

In 2007, as a result of this extended scope of services and expertise, the EEC produced a multicultural manual titled, “Special Education Assessment Process for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Students," that is currently in
use statewide.

Parents, schools, agencies, or individuals with suspected learning
disabilities may request services by calling the EEC at
1-800-541-4711, or 503-838-8749 (for general information), and 503-838-8817 (to schedule an appointment).

Post Script: Please read my three-part journal of my own experience going through the assessment process. After writing this article, I was moved to finally (at 62 years old) find out why reading has been so hard for me my whole life. It was eye-opening!